10.29.2014

Treat Yo Self

** I received the Apothecary Extracts 100% Pure Australian Tea Tree Oil from BrandBacker in exchange for a blog review. All opinions are those of my own. 



If you look over at my archive you will notice that I barely posted at all in October! The reason behind this is because October has been one hell of a busy month! With midterms taking up two weeks and studying taking up the other two, I have had absolutely no time to sit down at my computer and type for you lovely gals! 

With the month winding down, midterms over, and classes at a lull I am finally able to take time and write! How exciting?! I can also take some time to devote to myself and my own personal happiness! How am I going to devote time to myself, you may ask! Well, I am going to enter phase: "treat myself" and share some tips on how you can treat "yo" self!!

1. The first thing I am conquering in this phase is my face. I will be honest, when I stay up until 2am writing an essay and wake up at 7am for classes, I am barely functioning. I do not always remember to wash my face let alone moisturize and all that fun stuff! So to clear up all the junk that has made its way into my pores and all over my face, I use tea tree oil. It may just be me, but I feel that using Apothecary Extracts 100% Pure Australian Tea Tree Oil on face after I have denied it for a little bit shows instant results. After a few days I feel my skin clearing up again and making its way back to normal. I also like to take this time to try out one of the DIY face masks I have pinned on Pinterest! When I take time to take care of my face, I instantly feel better




2. When I feel that I have adequately treated my face, I move on to my soul! I treat my soul in a number of ways! The first way is by engaging in a few Facebook groups. I love reading through the uplifting posts of #fireworkpeople and sharing my own uplifting messages as well. I will also read through HONY because that is one site that makes my heart oh so happy! Within minutes I feel uplifted and ready to move on to step three!

3. After I have treated my face and my soul, I am ready to treat my guilty pleasure! This step requires two items: candy and my computer. I typically take about an hour or two to read through blogs and enter giveaways! I love when I get those emails that say "Congrats you win!" and I love to support my fellow bloggers by entering their giveaways! So when you are ready to treat your guilty pleasure scroll down and enter the one below! I am helping my friends Pamela celebrate her birthday and you can help too just by entering! 



a Rafflecopter giveaway

10.23.2014

Fall Owl and Pumpkin DIY

Fall is slowly but surely becoming one of my favorite seasons! The weather here has dropped about three degrees, the leaves are also slowly but surely changing colors, and the autumn breeze is present most days. All of these things have been wonderful on my morning walks to class. This slight adjustment into fall has put me in a seasonal crafty mood and I have been obsessively pinning all the things I want to try. For the plot twist of this story, I actually completed not one but two crafts off of my Pinterest board.



These bark owls are so perfect and my mother loved them so much that I gave them to her to decorate the house with for fall. 

To start you need to collect your materials:

Bark (if you live in an area without trees or bark... 1. I feel sorry for you and 2. Hit me up and I will send you some!)
Acorn Tops 
Pumpkin seeds 
E-6000


I spent about two hours looking for "owlish" bark and eventually decided to just pretend that these two look like owls. Also, I decided to cut off the spiky parts of the smaller acorn tops for the smaller owl!

Then you just lay out the acorn tops and pumpkin seeds how you like and glue them on with the magical E-6000!


That is it! You then have these beautiful, natural fall decorations!


My second project was this super awesome pumpkin pallet. It is so simple but takes a little longer than the owls. You will need:

Buttons (orange tones and green)
Burlap
Piece of wood (you could also use tin, or pretty much anything you like)
E-6000 (or hot glue)

First you will glue the burlap to the wood and allow it to dry. Then begin to lay out your buttons in a pumpkin shape. Once you are satisfied with your layout, glue them to the burlap. [ I glued mine one by one but I am sure you could spread the glue out on the burlap to make it faster...] 



Tell me, what craft are you dying to do this fall?


10.16.2014

The Truth About Fall

Today I feel like complaining. Actually everyday I complain but today I am sharing my complaints on my blog with all of my lovely readers!

They have to do with fall... well the expectation of fall. 

Every year, I expect such wonderful things from this wonderful time of year. However, South Georgia does not quite understand these expectations.



Expectation: Leaves of red and yellow falling from the trees. 

Reality: Evergreens... everywhere. For the few deciduous trees that do exist in these lands, their leaves remain green until they decide to just die overnight and fill the land with ugly brown crumbly leaves.

Expectation: Sweaters, leggings, and boots.

Reality: Sweat because it is still reaching the 90s every day.

Expectation: Drinking a hot cup of coffee on the porch each morning as the cool breeze blows through your hair.

Reality: Walking outside with your coffee, noticing that it is already 80 degrees and walking right back inside.

Expectation: Decorating your apartment or home with all the DIY projects you have been pinning during September.

Reality: Attempting one project, drastically failing, and going back to pinning future DIY projects.

Expectation: Pumpkin Spice Lattes!

Reality: Pumpkin Spice Everything!

10.07.2014

Deans List (Vox Box)

*Influenster provided these items free of charge for review purposes on my blog, yet all opinions are my own. 


Midterms are over, classes are in a lull for a little while, and some stress has been lifted off of my shoulders! (finally!) I am happy to announce that I am on my way to making the Dean's List! (though I don't want to chance myself) Influenster must also know this, because they so graciously sent me the Dean's List Vox Box full of fun products to get me through the semester on top! I am just cracking into the products but wanted to share a few (rough-sorry about that) pictures of what was included! All product reviews will be shared mostly on my social media accounts so make sure to follow them!  




The box included:

AirHeads Bites (which I ate right after this picture - so yum)
Ludens Throat Drops
Playtex Sport Tampons
Kiss False Eyelashes
Softlips Chapstick
Sinful Colors Nail Polish
Pilot Erasable Pens

10.05.2014

11 Verses for a Christ Filled Relationship

Well, I've done my laundry, cleaned my apartment, finished my homework, and nearly completed my "to-do" list. The only thing left on that list is write this post. I have done every possible thing to put off writing this post but the time has come and I must do it.

You see, when I planned this post about two months ago, it was a simple, lighthearted, "preaching to the choir" type post.

However, as I sit here today and type my favorite verses on the topic, I am just crushed and torn apart by each and every one. The realization sinks in, I do not have a Christ filled relationship. Sure, He is in it, in bits and pieces, but it is not filled by Him. We have allowed ourselves too much control and given ourselves too much credit for the things that have happened, when we have no credit to give.




Let's start at the beginning...

Genesis 2:18  "The Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."

Genesis 2:24  "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh."

So far I have learned that we are meant to have a significant other, and that in due time we will unite with this other to become not two but one. This is the easy part. The part where we realize what is to come. The part before the "real life" part. 

Then come the struggles... 

anger, resentment, selfishness, lack of communication, etc.

The areas where I constantly fall short. The areas I like to deny exist. The areas I ignore as I walk forward in my (highly) self-centered lifestyle and pretend they only affect others. These are the areas in which I we fail.

1 Peter 5:6-7  "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."

Ephesians 4:2-3  "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."

Ephesians 4:26  "And "don't sin by letting anger gain control over you." Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry."

Proverbs 17:14  "Beginning a quarrel is like opening a floodgate, so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out."

1 Thessalonians 5:11  "So encourage each other and build each other up, just a you are already doing."

I find it easier to internalize everything, to let anger control me, and to bring the ones I hold dearest down rather than encourage them. I do everything without thinking how it affects others because it is what is easiest to me. 

These are the areas than unravel me...

but there is hope, there is always hope...

2 Timothy 1:7  "For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline."

Deuteronomy 31:8  "Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord is the one who goes before you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor forsake you."

Matthew 10:39  "If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give it up for me, you will find it.

1 Peter 4:8  "Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins."